Stavanger (Norway), Aug 28: Norway’s King Harald V, the country’s monarch for more than three decades, died on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace announced.
Harald, who was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, was widely regarded as a popular king who modernised the Norwegian royal household while maintaining its largely ceremonial role.
Following his death, his son automatically succeeds him as King Haakon VIII.
The Norwegian monarchy has largely symbolic powers, with political authority resting with the elected parliament in the country’s democratic system.
Harald became king in January 1991 after the death of his father, King Olav V. His reign coincided with a period of strong economic growth in Norway, driven largely by the country’s oil and gas wealth.
Born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo, Harald was the first Norwegian prince born in the country since King Olav IV in 1370.
As a child, Harald spent time in exile in the United States during the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II.
He later married his school sweetheart, Sonja Haraldsen, despite opposition from some members of the royal establishment.
Harald’s grandfather, Haakon VII, became Norway’s king after the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. He was elected to the Norwegian throne following the country’s independence from the union.
